1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to musical instruments, and more particularly to a method and system of obfuscating playback of a note stream, or file, on player piano systems from other manufacturers.
2. Description of Related Art
Many different manufacturers of electronic player piano systems exist. A large portion of these systems utilize the Musical Instrument Data Interface standard (MIDI) for storing note information on a media. In this MIDI standard the music is not captured as with analog or digital recording techniques, but instead the activation of notes for a given instrument is represented by note commands which contain information as to which note (e.g., pitch), how that note is played (e.g., velocity of key strike), and so forth.
A problem has arisen in the use of player piano MIDI files wherein users purchase media from Manufacturer A to use on the player piano system of Manufacturer B. In many cases the user attempts to use the media in this way because Manufacturer B may be a “copy cat” low-end manufacturer that desires to sell systems without providing proper support.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for limiting unauthorized use of the player piano media on player pianos of other manufacturers.